Just in Lubbock, there are about 2,000 head of breeding-age meat goat does, and that number is increasing according to Robert Scott, a Texas AgriLife Extension agent in Lubbock.

Many of the people raising goats in the Lubbock area are small-time operations with anywhere between 10 to 50 heads, according to Scott.

Some operations, like Windy Acres Boers west of Lubbock, are larger.

Terry and Sue Taylor began goat farming eight years ago with just three goats on their 2-acre hobby farm in Smyer - about 11 miles west of Lubbock.

Initially, the goats were a project for their children's FFA class.

"They're a docile, loving animals and the children take to them more than they will a pig or steer," Sue said.

And goats cost about half as much to feed as pigs, Sue said.

Today, the Taylor's children have grown and left the house and the goat operation has grown to about 120 heads. They have also expanded to an additional 10-acre piece of land owned by their parents Floyd and Ludean Taylor in Whiteface.

A growing trend

Dr. Frank Craddock, a professor and goat specialist at the Texas A&M Research and Extension Center in San Angelo, said goats have been growing in popularity among breeders.

"The meat goat industry has boomed since the early 1990s," Craddock said.

Goat meat is the most widely consumed meat in the world, but the United States consumes only a fraction of that.

While goat meat is popular in Mexico, the Middle East and other parts of the world, the demand in the U.S. is growing.

"The Muslim and Mexican populations are growing in the U.S. and those people eat goat," Craddock said.

The amount of goat meat consumed in the U.S. increased from 25.8 million pounds per year in 1997 to 50.9 million pounds in 2003, according to the American Meat Goat Association.

At the same time, the cost of goat meat in the U.S. has also increased - from 75 cents per pound in 1996 to $1.36 per pound in 2005, the association reports.

Today, America imports much of the goat meat consumed here, but a growing goat population here in the U.S., and especially Texas, is helping supply the demand.

A decade ago, Texas was the goat-breeding capital of the U.S.

Eighty five percent of all goats in U.S. were in Texas in mid-1990s, according to Craddock. Since then, goat breeding has gained popularity in other states and today Texas is home to about half of the nation's goat population, according to Craddock.

"Goats do well in a dry climate and that's why they do well out here in West Texas," Craddock said.

Hobby farmers

Don Handley and his wife Sharon own the Get-Ya-Goat Ranch in Crosbyton, about 40 miles east of Lubbock.

Handley, 64, has been around animals his entire life but didn't take up goat ranching until about ten years ago.

With limited space and resources, Handley decided to try raising goats when he retired.

He started with four nannies and one billy.

Today, Handley has more than 20 goats on his small farm.

Like many goat ranchers on the South Plains, Handley raises boer goats. He also raises some boer/Spanish cross goats. Both species are known for their meat.

The Nubians, known for their milk-producing qualities, are too labor intensive for Handley.